Wow! Go Hoosiers!
Ted (above mentioned son) needs a good, solid DD with reasonable miles, no major issues, decent rubber, and as little rust as possible. His budget is typical broke college kid, so we aren't looking for a built rig, but a good platform for him to build on as $$$ allow. Probably '97 or newer. I want him concentrating on school, not dealing with a lemon.
Any used car is going to have some issues, I'd want to find them. If I was there I'd check trans fluid for smell, color and signs of being freshly changed. Ditto oil, coolant, diff and transfer case fluids. I'd look at tire wear, brakes, exhaust, suspension, drive train, steering parts, you know - everything. I'd plug in my scan tool and check for anything that might reveal. 2000 or 2001 I'd check the head casting number and look for evidence of a crack under the oil filler cap between cylinders 3 & 4 or evidence of coolant in the oil or vice versa; and look for the heat shielding and ceramic sleeve from the TSA whose # I forget. I'd run everything electrical as well as the heater and AC both to see if they worked and to listen to the ac compressor and clutch. I'd make sure the electrical fan kicked in. I'd engage the 4wd and feel and listen to that. If all that was acceptable I'd probably take it somewhere to have compression checked and look underneath while it was in the air to look for oil leaks (especially the rear main) and undercarriage damage. I'd check all the doors and windows to make sure they were in good order.
I really want to help him avoid that sick feeling you get when you get what you think is a good vehicle only to have the wheels fall off a couple weeks down the road. You know, typical dad stuff! I'm bummed I'm not there to help him ID and address work that needs doing, and can't tell you how grateful I am that there are guys willing to help out in looking for potential problems, as well as noticing the good stuff!
I'll talk to Ted and have him join in this discussion with particulars. In the meantime, can you think of anywhere to watch besides Craig's list, eBay, and auto trader.com? There used to be a wheels and deals type weekly down there, but I haven't lived in Indiana since 96.
Thanks again!!
Brian
